Method of making rolled plate wire of a cross section other than round



June 28, 1955 P. F. LEACH 2,711,577

METHOD OF MAKING ROLLED PLATE WIRE OF A CROSS SECTION QTHER THAN ROUND Filed March 27, 1952 INVEN TOR. pfi i/Z)? .1 Z ea'c' A TORNEYS.

METHOD OF MAKING ROLLED PLATE WIRE OF A CROSS SECTION OTHER THAN ROUND Philip F. Leach, Attleboro, Mass., assignor to Leach & Garner Company, a corporation of Massachusetts This invention relates to wire having a plated surface, which is used largely in the optical trade in the form of a T-shape cross section.

Where it is desired to have a plated surface on a portion of a T-shape wire, the wire has usually been formed from stock such as round plated wire rolled into the desired form so that the plate is exposed on surfaces where it was unnecessary that the surface be finished because of its being hidden when in use.

One of the objects of this invention is a method of producing a wire which may provide multiple strips of indefinite length in machine operations in which the plate is exposed only on the head of the T cross section, which is the part which is exposed when in use.

Another .object of the invention is to provide a more durable and attractive wire because of the cold working of the material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method which will not be limited to any particular ingot size or cross section of finished wire.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a bar of stock which is clad with a plate of precious metal on its front or top surface;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the stock after having been rolled into partially finished form showing the plate in the position desired;

Figure 3 is a perspective view representing a further step in the shaping of the individual wire which is formed from the bar;

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the wire in finished form;

Figure 5 is a sectional view showing a pair of rolls operating upon the bar just prior to the severing of the strips;

Figure 6 is a sectional view through the bar in finished formshowing the same as located between a pair of rolls to individually roll the strip into the T-shape section.

With reference to the drawings 10 designates generally a bar of metal with a body portion 11 of base metal such for instance as copper and the top front face 12 of precious metal such for instance as gold. A pair of rolls 14 and 15 are utilized for rolling the bar as shown in Figure 1, which may take several passes in order to form the bar in the shape designated generally 16 in Figure 2. The roll 14 which engages the rear face or base metal is provided with generally V-shaped indentations 17 with the stock between the indentations 17 as at 18 being formed to a relatively sharp beveled edge. The roots of the V notch at 19 may be arcuate as shown.

The roll 15 is provided with notches 20 of a shallow formation having a fiat root and with beveled dividing portions 21 extending beyond the roots 20 of the notches with rather sharp V-shaped edges. All of this forma- 2,711,577 Patented June 28, 1955 tion is below the surfaces 22 of the roll 14 and surface 23 of the roll 15, which may be brought into abutting relation as shown in Figure 5 and form a limit of movement of the rolls toward each other. At the point of engagement of the cylindrical surfaces 22 and 23, the knife-like edges 18 and 21 of the rolls will just meet so that when the bar is rolled with the rolls suificiently close together so that this meeting does occur, the bar will be severed into a plurality of strips of wire 25, 25', 25", 25.

When the bar stock of rectangular form such as shown in Figure 1 is started through the rolls 14 and 15, the rolls will be spaced a substantial distance apart and although their surfaces will be closer together than the thickness of the bar 10, as one pass occurs, the projections 18 will work into the bar, drawing the bar lengthwise and at the same time forming the notches such as 26, 26', and 26" between the strips 25, 25, and so forth. A further pass with the rolls yet closer together will further indent the notches 26 and further elongate the bar, and finally after several passes with the rolls closer together at each pass, the strips will be drawn so that their lengthwise dimension has increased, and they will be in generally the form desired, such as the triangular form shown, and at the last pass when the rolls have their surfaces 22 and 23 in contact, the strips will be severed.

Due to the formation of the notches 20 and dividing portions 21, the plate 12 of precious material will be drawn over the side edges slightly below the horizontal lower edge of the plate as at 27 (see also Figure 3) so that in addition to the plating 28 on the top surface of the triangular cross section, this plating will extend slightly down the sides. After the wire is severed and in the triangular form 25, it is further rolled so that it will be recessed on either side as at 29 to form a cross section such as shown at 30 in Figure 3, while still further rolling will change this cross section from that shown in Figure 3 to the T-shape form shown in Figure 4 with the head 31 of the T having a plated surface at 32 on its top front wall with the edges 33 also provided with a plate or coating, while the shank 34 of the T cross section will be of base metal unplated. This last rolling is shown by the rolls 35 and 36 as shown in Figure 6 where the roll 35 is grooved as at 37 and the roll 36 is grooved as at 38, these rolls coming together by reason of the contact of their surfaces 39 of roll 35 and 40 of roll 36. All of the bar 10 is utilized in the strips so that no waste occurs.

In the formation of articles for the optical trade, a T- section wire such as shown in Figure 4 is utilized by cutting away the shank of the T toform pins to extend through the optical parts, while the head is usually cut in some shield or other shape, which acts not only as a head for a rivet but also as a decoration on the optical mounting. The major portion of the stock which is cut away is the shank of the T, and this is of base metal so that none of the gold plate is wasted in an operation of this character. Thus, the stock is particularly adapted for use where the maximum cutting away will be from the base metal rather than from the more precious plated metal.

In the formation of the bar 10, a thickness of plate 12 may be utilized which will give to the finished article the quality which is desired. Thus, it may be that a plating 12 may be of of the weight of the bar stock but in the finished product by reason of the various operations which are performed, the quality of the plate will be raised to possibly of the total weight of the stock as may be desired, this being a matter of prearrangement and calculation, the tendency in manipulation being to raise the quality of the plate, as the cut-away part is the base stock.

Various cross sectional shapes may be provided in multiple from the bar depending upon the strength of the rolls used, and no scrap will be had in the transformation of the bar into wire.

I claim:

1. The method of forming wire of a cross section other than round with a plated top surface of precious metal which comprises providing a bar of base metal generally rectangular in cross section, securing a thinner plating of precious metal on one side only on said bar, then while maintaining the plated surface fiat, progressively rolling the bar lengthwise thereof on the side thereof opposite to the plated surface to form a plurality of deep grooves and simultaneously rolling shallower grooves on the plated side opposite the deep grooves until said grooves meet and a plurality of strips are formed.

2, The method of forming wire of a cross section other than round with a plated top surface of precious metal, which comprises providing a bar of base metal generally rectangular in cross section, securing a thinner plating of precious metal on one side only on said bar, then while maintaining the plated surface flat, progressively rolling the bar lengthwise thereof on the side thereof opposite to the plated surface into a plurality of generally V-shaped sections connected by a thin web, simultaneously rolling grooves on the plated side along said webs to reduce the thickness of said webs inwardly of the said plated surface, and finally severing the web between adjacent sections.

3. The method of forming wire of a cross section other than round with a plated top surface of precious metal which comprises providing a bar of base metal generally rectangular in cross section, securing a thinner plating of precious metal on the top side only on said bar, then while maintaining the plated surface flat, progressively rolling the bar lengthwise thereof on the side opposite to the plated surface into a plurality of sections, simultaneously progressively rolling in the plated side a V- shaped groove along a line defining the edges of said sections so as to reduce from opposite sides of the bar the thickness of the web connecting said sections, finally severing the web between adjacent sections, and thereafter rolling each section into T shape and simultaneously rolling the plated edges of the head of the T at right angles to the upper side of the said head whereby the precious metal plate will extend along the said edges of the head of the T.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 155,180 Coes Sept. 22, 1874 283,469 Daniels Aug. 21, 1883 885,508 McKee Apr. 21, 1908 2,002,229 Trembour May 21, 1935 2,040,494 Miller May 12, 1936 2,102,812 Southgate Dec. 21, 1937 2,169,129 Sawyer Aug. 8, 1939 2,424,779 Townsend July 29, 1947 

